Language Arts Books

In 524 AD Boethius was confined under severe house arrest while awaiting trial for treason. The imprisonment did apparently permit access to some books and writing materials. He had been a very honored Roman aristocrat, and had received an excellent classical education in his youth. He had translated several Greek books into Latin.

His present situation left him very depressed; it was not at all the future that he had expected. Then Lady Philosophy appeared in his imagination. She was commanding, and chased away the muses of the theater who had been occupying his attention with tragedy and superficial entertainment. He at first did not recognize Philosophy. Then he remembered her as the teacher of his youth. She had come to claim her own, and to nurse him back to mental health.

Boethius and Philosophy had an extended discourse. Boethius recorded it in "The Consolation of Philosophy" (translated by P. G. Walsh, Oxford, 2000). He was troubled by the frequent apparent absence of justice and goodness in human affairs. Boethius was a Christian, but this book utilized dialectics as practiced by Socrates and recounted by Plato in his "Republic". The Christian point of view is founded on faith that God, goodness, and a final purpose exist because they are revealed in the Bible. In the Platonic view taken by Boethius, the presence in human affairs of God and purpose ("purpose" appears in Richard Green's translation of "The Consolation of Philosophy".) can be established by reasoning. The reasoning does require faith in something, namely in the orderly and lawful progression of events in the natural world, as suggested for instance in the orderly motions of the heavenly bodies (Walsh, p. 17, "...this tiniest of sparks will cause life's heat to be resuscitated in you."). In the language of the time, orderly progression was determined by divine reason.

"The Consolation of Philosophy" was little noticed in the turmoil following the final collapse of the Western Empire. But it was transcribed under Charlemagne in the eighth century, and it remained thereafter a very influential book for a thousand years. Chaucer translated it into English. One can imagine that its very deterministic outlook was too constraining as the later Renaissance burst forth and demanded unbounded freedom for the individual.

We may be entering more sober times. Some of us may find that our present realities do not meet our expectations. We share this with Boethius. If we have never achieved the success or fame accorded Boethius, we still may have reverses due to the economy or old age. Can "The Consolation of Philosophy" help us? If we turn to it as a reasoned approach, does it hold up in the light of modern science?

Our most highly developed science is physics. How does a modern physicist regard the world? Based first of all on quantum mechanics, he is apt to feel that reality at the fundamental level is probabilistic rather than deterministic. But there have been those who seem to disagree, most notably Einstein and Schrödinger. Einstein's vision of reality involves a space-time continuum. Doesn't this imply that any part of the whole is predetermined by the requirement that it fit adjacent parts? This corresponds with the medieval belief that the world, present, past, and future, is known to God. Boethius felt that this is compatible with free will for humans, in a way that is not immediately evident to out human reason. He resolves this after finding why human affairs do not seem to be guided by the hand of God, as is the material world.

Physics is not the only science. Biology is much closer to human concerns. The most spectacular aspect of modern biology is the discovery of the structure of DNA and the mode of its expression in the body. DNA bridges the gap between organismic biology and evolutionary biology. The structure of DNA is described with a mechanistic model, and its expression results from causal relationships. This is very deterministic.

In organismic biology perhaps the greatest accomplishment in the twentieth century was the theoretical and quantitative explication of the firing of the giant neuron in the Atlantic squid, since the same model can be applied to many other neurons and species simply by adjusting parameters. Eric Kandel has extended the quantitative and molecular understanding of neural behavior further in his work on synapses. This establishes the molecular basis of memory. In his Nobel address ("Science", 2 November 2001, pp. 1030-1038), Kandel noted that the solution of the general problem of neural functioning in memory will require a systems approach, and he is confident that this and other questions in the biology of learning will be addressed in the near future. I wonder if Kandel is too optimistic?

A neuropsychological theory of memory and learning was advanced by Donald Hebb in 1949, and used by Hebb in his teaching of psychology (Hebb, D.O., "Textbook of Psychology" (3rd Ed.), Saunders, Philadelphia, 1972. See also Hebb, D.O., "The Organization of Behavior", Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.). Hebb's theory introduced cell assemblies in neural networks, but was nonmathematical. Hebb was not a mathematician, and in addition the tools for putting the theory in mathematical form were not available. Powerful computers did not exist (a modern PC would suffice for a small idealized network), and the mathematical field of nonlinear dynamics was relatively undeveloped. Now those tools exist, but apparently the approach has never been tried. Has contemporary science gone beyond such fundamental things?

Now let's consider a bit of social science. Going back 56 years, the Second World War had been over long enough to give people time to think about how to change human culture and prevent another war. One idea for changing social behavior was offered by the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner. He presented it in the form of a novel, titled "Walden Two" (reissued 1976, Prentice-Hall). Walden Two was an imagined utopian community. The description and history of such communities is interesting in itself, but my purpose here is to compare the formative influences in Walden Two with those that our society has brought to bear in recent decades. Walden Two had been in existence for ten years, and its population after the war was about 1000. At that time its educational procedures for children had been worked out. They began at birth, and were so thorough in instilling cooperative attitudes that male aggression never appeared in early childhood. I wonder whether that might interfere with normal male hormonal balance. Maybe, if the cooperative attitude is desirable, training should begin after proper male development. At any rate, if we aimed to develop a socialist society, training for reduction of male aggression should be introduced at some age. We are now going in the opposite direction. In our society, fathers encourage aggressive behavior in their sons, so that they will be able to get their share in the capitalistic culture. The development of aggressive instincts does not stop there. The influence of television on all ages promotes violent attitudes. Whether Skinner considered this in his later years I don't know. He did not live long enough to see the development of violent computer games, but surely he would be appalled. As things stand, we appear to be committed irrevocably to an unrestrained capitalistic society, in which waste could be unbounded. Can we halt this with recycling? Or are we headed for social disaster? The wise course for the individual is to prepare for acceptance, whatever comes.

Coming back to the present, many of us are disappointed, and are looking for encouragement or consolation. Some will find it in religion based on faith, especially the forgiving Christian faith revealed in the Bible. There will also be mystics, who have a direct experience of God, and therefore don't need a conscious act of faith. Others may turn to a more secular view. Notable is the outlook expressed by Stephen Jay Gould in "Wonderful Life" (Norton, 1989). Gould sees precious value in human life precisely because its origin was dependent on contingent events, and hence was so unlikely. This is very different from the deterministic view I have taken. Gould draws further assurance from the apparent release of the free will from determinism.

Finally there is the path chosen by Boethius. It is the way of a rational mind that has been confronted with the harsh reality of reversals or deprivations. It is the path of acceptance, as a higher value becomes evident. Again we question whether this view makes sense in the light of modern science. Is there something about the human mind that makes it override material values? Many have tried to define the source of the difference between human perception and that of other animals. One current view is that consciousness is the special human resource. But do we really know that other animals don't possess consciousness?

The difference between humans and animals may be that humans have passed a threshold in symbolic activity. When our ape-like ancestors left the forest, and began hunting on the hilly savannas, they became more social, both to hunt big game in groups and to prepare food at the camp. This promoted a dramatic development of language. Brain regions involved in symbolic activity expanded. It became possible to tell stories of hunting adventures. Stories cultivated imagination, and imagination led to visions of what might be over the next hill. This in turn led to the concept of a space beyond all hills, an abstract space. The regularity of the Sun and Moon demonstrated order in the abstract space. Maintained by what agency? There must be a divine will that promotes order. At that point our ancestors were DISCOVERING the spiritual realm.

Ages later writing appeared, which made it possible to transmit precise knowledge, and so led to advanced culture. We discovered mathematical relations, and made a start in learning physical laws. These developments depended on the conscious mind, but also involved the subconscious in an essential way. The subconscious is not limited by sequential logic. Like nature, it considers everything at once. And so we draw closer to God. It is the above characteristics that make the individual human mind precious. It depends on culture, but rises above culture. The individual mind comprehends a whole world. Except perhaps when we pass our threshold of tolerable pain, the mind is able to rise above physical discomforts and deprivations, and find refuge in comtemplation of the world within.

The next time you have a bad day and get mired in self-pity, think about Boethius. Born into a wealthy Roman family around 480 C.E., Boethius was a successful scholar and politician. Early in his career, he wrote influential treatises on Aristotle's logic and Christian theology. He became a senator and found favor with the rulers of the Roman world, ultimately taking the highest post in the Western government (then located in Ravenna, rather than Rome). But his world fell apart when his king, Theoderic, charged him with treason. Confined to his house and awaiting a particularly gruesome execution (you don't want to know), Boethius comforted himself with philosophical reflection. Working partly in verse and partly in prose, as translated by P.G. Walsh, Boethius crafted a long dialogue with the goddess Philosophy, who slowly convinces him that happiness based on worldly things is fleeting and false, and that true happiness can come only from knowledge of God and his goodness. getAbstract is glad to offer a look at this classic work, which inspired people from Dante to C.S. Lewis, even in their darkest hours.

The particular edition I am reviewing is the Oxford World's Classics translation by P. G. Walsh.

This is one of those classics that can catch an unsuspecting reader completely by surprise, especially if one has read many other works by near contemporaries. The circumstances under which it was composed are legendary, and lend the work a legitimacy granted to few other works. Boethius was among the foremost government officials in what was essentially the successor government to the end of the Roman Empire. Rome and much of the rest of what would later become Italy was under the control of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric. A product of one of the leading Roman familes, Boethius ascended to a power of great honor and authority under Theodoric, only to be accused of treason late in the latter's life, at which point Boethius was imprisoned and condemned to death. While awaiting his fate (including whether Theodoric actually intended on carrying out the sentence), Boethius wrote this remarkable dialog between a prisoner whose situation closely resembles Boethius' and Philosophy personified as a woman. Although many topics are discussed, the heart of the dialog is the nature of true happiness.

Although few of its readers are likely to face circumstances as dire as Boethius', the work remains remarkably pertinent in an age where ideals of happiness are dictated almost entirely by our modern consumer society. Philosophy carefully explains to the prisoner that that happiness can never be found in such things as fame or power or riches and other things that are confused with the true source of happiness. For Boethius' Philosophy, happiness is ultimately rooted in the Christian God, but even for non-Christians, the lightly theological tone of the work provides much reflection on the nature of happiness in almost any kind of situation.

The Walsh edition of this work is, in my opinion, the finest readily available edition in English. The notes are marvelous, both providing overviews to each upcoming section as well as providing detailed comments on specific lines in the text. The introduction gives any new reader of the work all the context and background that he or she would need to digest the work. Best of all, the translation is exceptionally readable, and the translations of the many poems far above the average for most academic translations of verse.

I recommend this work strongly to either of two kinds of readers. First, for anyone who is a student of intellectual history the work remains for an understanding of a host of writers in the middle ages, as well as for many 19th century poets. Second, anyone interested in devotional or reflectional works, whether religious or philosophical, this remains one of the most essential works in the history of thought. By almost any standard, this is a work that demands careful reading and study.

For a long time, this would stand as the last major work in which philosophy played the role it was accustomed to play in Antiquity; most medieval thinkers would make philosophy the servant of theology and strip it of its profoundly ethical roots - after all, Christianity became the philosophical way of life par excellence. By using philosophy as a character, Boethius emphasizes its vital role in everyday life and the choices that life entails. Although Boethius is usually mentioned in conjunction with Aristotelian and Christian thought, this work is especially linked to Platonism, Stoicism and Neoplatonism: a) it follows the progression of Socratic discourse in a journey that leads one from the suppression of false beliefs towards a gradually clearer approximation of what Good is, and Philosophy is akin to the priestess Diotima of Plato's Symposium; b) the harrowing context in which it was written mirrors the composition of Seneca's Letters to Lucilius; c) its frequent allegorical use of poetry and myths follows the path set forth by the Stoics and Neoplatonists. The first few books free Philosophy's interlocutor from his errors, and Boethius then explores the work's central subjects: justice, the nature of good and evil, providence (themes that also intensely preoccupied Plotinus late in his life). Treating 'Consolation...' only as a compendium of ancient Greek philosophy would be doing it a major disservice, as it would underscore the personal dimension lying at the very heart of the work. Those who forgot that philosophy is a lot more than the mere juggling of concepts should definitely read this key book.

Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.

All happyness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.

The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.

Award-winning travel author and newspaper columnist Barbara Hudgins has
produced a road map for fledging travel writers in her new book, 'Crafting the Travel Guide Book."
Succinct and savvy in style, HUDGINS' book furnishes the framework for the would-be travel author.
She helps the writer define concept, category and audience, and builds on basic topics such as organization, structure and general format.
Extremely well-organized , this book covers such details as "front matter"(as Hudgins terms them)---namely titles, sub-titles, copyright,
foreward, acknowledgments and table of contents.
The section on "What Goes In and What Stays Out" includes definitions of plagarism, copyright and "second-hand prose, or re-told stories from a wire service or other source.
Clear and concise, Hudgins' book takes the reader on a tour of the byways and highways of travel writing ---and makes it an easy ride.

The previous five, all five star, reviews are dead on. Crafting the Travel Guidebook is an indispensable resource for anyone wishing to or already writing in the ever-expanding, increasingly popular travel guidebook field. Crafting the Travel Guidebook was pure joy to read. It is not the same old outdated information rehashed yet again. The information is detailed yet concise. Norman Goldman's review (either above or below, just find it and read it) gives an excellent breakdown of the book and its benefits to you, the writer. I only want to add that Hudgins, to her great credit, unlike many journalists and authors, really knows what she is talking about in the self-publishing field and the differences between self, vanity, subsidiary, and POD publishing. Many are the unwary authors that did not know the difference and suffered the consequences. If the book has a drawback, it is that the reader will come up with ideas for many new books as they read along. Having a legitimate excuse to research and travel to an exciting new place is some drawback, huh? Bravo, Barbara Hudgins, as C.S. Potter so aptly wrote.

Crafting the Travel Guidebook had some good information in it, mainly of the inspirational nature. However, it also had a lot of typos, strange formatting, omitted words, and other errors that made it seem unprofessional. Furthermore, some of the advice in the book - such as writing your own [[...] reviews and sending them to friends in other states to post for you, to drive up your ratings - were borderline unethical. Some tips were repeated over and over again, while other areas were very thin on content.

The good stuff included inspiration about famous travel guides who started out small, a good overview of self publishing, and a good overview of the different types of travel guides that you can write. Overall, what was good was great, but the book would have benefited from better editing and more solid content in several key areas. It was definitely worth reading, but I wish I'd borrowed this book from a library instead of buying it new.

My husband and I have been traveling for over forty years and we keep a journal of the places we have visited, from a cruise through the Panama Canal, renting a villa in Italy with friends, various hiking trips in Europe, and a three week visit to New Zealand, as well as drinking our way through Napa and Sonoma several times.

I've considered combining my journals into a book, but had no idea how to begin. When I discovered Crafting the Travel Guidebook, I knew I had found the tools to make that a reality. Honing in on a concept, figuring out your format and your parameters, finding a voice and constructing chapters that follow one another in a logical way--it makes everything so much easier.

There is also information on the construction of a book, particularly a travel book---from writing the disclaimer on the copyright page to listing what goes into the appendix. I also liked the information on how to approach a publisher and the rundown on the variety of self-publishers and subsidy publishers. All in all, a great buy for anyone who even comtemplates the writing of a travel book.

Travel writing in general, and the writing of travel guides in particular, is a very specialized genre for aspiring authors and is perhaps one of the most complicated areas in which to seek publication. Therefore it is especially satisfying to read travel writing expert Barbara Hudgins' practical, real-world, comprehensive compendium of sound advice and information on writing guidebooks, directories, travelogues, travel memoirs, in "Crafting The Travel Guidebook: How To Write, Publishing & Sell Your Travel Book". In addition to providing a wealth of useable information on traditional publishing, self-publishing, POD publishing, and subsidy publishing as it applies to travel oriented books, there are invaluable travel writing tips, advice on writing the book proposal, key information concerning publicity and promotion, and a list of publishers who specialize in producing travel books. More specifically to the advantage of the novice author seeking to write a travel guide or a travelogue is what "Crafting The Travel Guidebook" has to offer about finding a category to write about, creating a format, constructing the framework of the guidebook, finding an audience, and finding a 'voice' that will stand out from all the other travel books in competition for the traveler's attention. Simply indispensable reading for any beginning travel author, whether they are writing annotated directories, road guides, memoirs, outdoor recreation guides, destination and regional guidebooks, restaurant and winter guides, specialized audience guides, luxury or budget travel guides, guidebooks for the business traveler, or for the vacationer, "Crafting The Travel Guidebook" is also very highly recommended to seasoned travel journalists seeking to compile their magazine or newspaper travel columns into a travel book.

This book is perfect for beginners. It uses simply, practical words. Contains a glossary of terms. Displays an example of a breakdown, beat sheet, and Act. It's a straight forward book. Tells the ups and the downs of the business in both America and Canada. Tells you how to break in, and what to expect as a staffer among other things.

Alex Epstein's CRAFTY TV WRITING is a terrific new book full of great advice about the craft of episodic writing and insights into the business of television (and I'm not just saying that because he quotes liberally from me and my blog). If I didn't have a book of my own, Successful Television Writing, to recommend, this is the one I'd tell every aspiring TV writer to buy.

This book was amazing. I read it in one day, and it was really interesting. A lot of real world examples, which was extremely helpful. And this guy is clearly a huge Joss Whedon fan, which made reading it all the more enjoyable!

Highly recommend, I learned a lot and had fun doing it!

Experienced professional television screenwriter and story editor Alex Epstein presents Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box, a solid writer's manual that covers all the bases. From the hidden structure of TV series, to turning great story ideas into workable scripts, the many tips, tricks, and techniques of a writer's toolkit, the realities of working in TV land (including how to break into the business, get hired, and get promoted!) and much more. Appendices, resources, and spot-on advice from direct personal experience distinguish this absolute "must-have" for aspiring and practicing television writers alike.

I've read many books on writing for film and television, and this is one of the best. What I like most about Alex Epstein's style is that it is immensely, if not compulsively, readable. His advice is practical and straightforward, and he approaches the topics in the book with a much appreciated playful sense of humor. There are books that are educational but pretentious and are a chore to go through, this book manages to be instructive and entertaining at the same time; it's a real gem. Highly recommended!

I tried to contact the seller 2 times, with no response what so ever. Never received the book I purchased

I was lucky enough to attend the author's workshop at the NCTE convention and then I bought the book. It is a dynamic resource and I use it regularly. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to set higher standards for their students.

I am teaching 5th grade this year, and I am always looking for new and different ideas to use as projects with books or stories. This is an excellent resource to have on hand. You do not have to do any work with this book, and that is the part I love more than anything! (As a teacher I have enought to do) Worth the money!!!

Jane Feber makes her debut as an author at long last with this great book of practical and fun activities for veteran and new teachers. An award winning and highly successful teacher, Jane shares her strategies for success. The book not only provides instructions and rubrics for the activities but schedules, suggestions for group interaction, classroom management tips, and very importantly, authentic pictures of the finished products. With the varied levels of today's students Jane has given us a book with activities to enable all students to achieve success. I have shared this book with numerous teachers and all have wanted a copy.

Creative Book Reports is full of kinesthetic activities to use in differentiating instruction in middle school, elementary, and even some high school classrooms. It is also good for parents to use during the summer to encourage students to respond to the books they are reading. Teachers can find something great to use for teaching higher order thinking skills and for developing a love of good literature. The teacher pages, illustrations, and rubrics make this book extremely user friendly. It is the best organized book of its type I have seen. The CD makes it a snap to adapt activities to your own situation. I will highly recommend this book to my own middle school language arts department and to the elementary teachers who take my university courses.

One can have the best grammar in the world, but if the writing is still horrible, it's going to be very technically sound horrible writing. "The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing" looks at all the causes of bad writing and how to repair them and revise them. Touching on passive voice, abuse of the suffix -ing, run on sentences, and many other common accidents of writers, "The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing" is an essential guide for novice writers with its unique and entertaining approach to improve themselves.

I am an avid writer. I have written several novels and some nonfiction. As part of my writing regimen, I read at least one writing instructional book between each draft of each project.

I picked up a copy of Curse of the Misplaced Modifier and read it. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite grammar book. In this book, Bonnie Trenga tackles 7 of the most common writing problems; passive voice, nominalization, -ing words, weak verbs, misplaced modifiers, long sentences, and wordiness. She worked as an editor and has drawn from her professional experience to narrow most writing errors into these categories.

I enjoyed the examples of bad and corrected writing. I enjoyed her selection of common errors and her advice to writers about how to correct these errors by forming better writing habits. I wasn't so enamored by the cuteness of her prose. I am more of a nuts and bolts man. I like to roll up my sleeves and get right down to the rules of good writing without a lot of fluff. However, for some her lighthearted approach might be just the thing.

Good job, Bonnie.

-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System

Bonnie Trenga has created a fun book that also helps you hone your writing skills. The seven most commonly corrected errors editors fix have been disected into seven interesting and fun chapters complete with exercises to help you stop the errors and create a more readable, intriguing story. I have been using this book while editing my manuscript, and find it indispensable. I highly recommend it for anyone serious about honing their writing craft.

A decade as a professional copyeditor and proofreader prompted Bonnie Trenga to write a reference book. She noticed that beginning and experienced clients alike made the same mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes lay with grammar or punctuation, but usually sentence structure was the problem.

At the time, none of the available grammar books addressed the problems she continually encountered. She felt that writers needed a guide covering the seven common writing mistakes she saw most often.

The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier is the result of her effort.

Writing well takes more than correct grammar. A sentence with ackward phrasing can cause readers to lose interest. So, instead of focusing on grammar, Misplaced Modifier concentrates on writing clear sentences that inform and entertain readers.

Each chapter begins with a short mystery story full of the writing mistake addressed. The chapters are short, direct and supported by examples. Each one is concluded by a recap and a summary. Trenga tells us what she's going to tell us, tells us what she told us, and then tells us again.

The problems discussed in the book include passive voice, nominalization, vague -ing words, weak verbs, misplaced modifiers, long sentences and wordy prose. Although the example stories are mysteries, the information is useful for any form of writing.

After the seven chapters on writing felonies comes a list of ten writing misdemeanors. The list covers punctuation, clichés, spelling and vocabulary. An answer key for the mistake-ridden mysteries and a glossary follow.

The book concludes with a weak writing rap sheet. The rap sheet repeats the information presented in the book in a graph form. It's format, which lists problems, examples and fixes, makes it easy to find the answers to specific questions.

This is, quite simply, a wonderful book for writers of all levels; whether high school, college, professional, or otherwise. If your writing is sick, because of weak sentence structure and improper grammar usage, reading this book will help heal it. The lessons found here will mend your words, and they will flow strong and true right from the heart of your writing, coursing through every sentence, bringing new life to your meaning.

I'm a professional writer who is always in search of ways to improve my craft, and have shelves of writing books; many of which are on the subject of grammar. They, for the most part, are dry, lifeless, and make for very dull reading. But 'The Curious Case Of The Misplaced Modifier' is different. It presents explanations of seven common grammatical mistakes in an easy to grasp, personal, and thoroughly enjoyable way. It's almost as if the author was sitting on the couch next to me, sipping tea, while explaining why and how to build better sentences through the proper use of grammar.

Although a physically small book, measuring just 8"x5" with some 150 pages, it packs a huge wallop.

Yes, Gracie, good things do come in small packages. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

Barry Gluck

I would have wanted to know that the book had more than ten chapter. I also would wanted to know a little more about the subject before purchase. After I purchase this book I realize that it explains crystal clear all about business communication. I also find out that this book had useful information about business communication for today technology. Explain part by part all procedure to make good reception and open discuss for get better business. I highly recommed this book as reference for people work in Office.

I used this text for an online class and it was just an exceptional experience. I also had the option of visiting the classroom, which was completely out of the picture once I started turning the pages. The chapters were clear and passages easy to follow. The grammar/mechanics handbook section was really great. I have decided to keep this book as a wonderful reference tool. I find myself using it daily to double check certain things for clarification before mailing. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking a refresher course or an improvement tool for business English. This is money well spent and is worth every cent!

Other books to read for relaxation: Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul; Everyday Miracles; and, The Language of Poetry Forms.

I have been reading this book since I received it and so far it is an excellent business tool! Very informative.

The book was in perfect condition, however, it didn't come with the user access code for internet review websites.

I am an instructor for a local college. I selected the Essntials of Business Communication as the textbook for my Business Communications course after working with it in a previous class. It is the best organized text I have found with step by step instructions for students to readily grasp the techniques used in modern business documents. The book covers e-mails, memos, a variety of business letters, reports, business proposals, resumes, letters of application and communication skills for oral presentations and interviews. Lectures, examples, assignments, and grammatical challenges are pre-designed for the instructor's use, making this a turn-key system for teaching communication skills.

My close friend who is one of the nicest person I ever met, recommended me this book. Upon opening the first chapter, I already know that this book is amazing. My writing improves a lot. If you are an international student like me, you might also have hard time on writing as well. I guaranteed that this book is really invaluable.

This is an outstanding book on how to improve the writing of biomedical research papers. It is well organized, well presented and extremely helpful.

I bought several writing books at the same time and this one stands out because not only is it a "how-to" book, but it is a workbook and mostly consists of exercises. There is plenty of space in the book to do the exercises right in the book. This is extremely important, because you can read about the rules for improving your writing, but you really don't learn how to use them until you practice rewriting actual sentences.

Significantly, this book has dramatically improved my ability to edit my own papers, which has been one of my nagging writing weaknesses.

A good book for beginers, clear and easy to read.

we used this book as part of a class i was taking. i am so glad that the professor picked this one out!
the beginning of the book gives you the building blocks, and the later chapters help you put it all together. i realized that a lot of people who help you with proofreading don't really look for some of the organizational items that the author stresses.
i reccommend this book for any graduate student, as well as anyone else who is looking to improve their writing. it might also be a good tool for mentors to use to work with their students.

Very good book for beginners and experienced researchers! I haven't come across any other book that actually describes how you should write a biomedical paper. The only critique is that the examples used are too technical for non-biomedical researchers, this makes it hard to understand the examples. But even if you do not have a biomedical background you will learn a lot from this book.

I recommend this book for anyone who would like a few more clues on the many ways masterful sentences are put together. If you have the soul for good writing, but need a little more concrete guidance on how powerful phrases from the Bible to Virgil to Shakespeare to Churchill are constructed--this book will be a delightful little teacher.

I was impressed by the lighthearted and humble approach of the author. Although he gives the formal (and quite forgettable) names for the figures of speech, he says he doesn't expect readers to remember the names, but rather to "taste" the examples he cites, and to get a feel for how to apply these patterns in their own writing. He repeatedly stresses that knowing how to use words and rhetorical patterns is far more important than memorizing their names or even agreeing upon their proper classifications.

The author also cites classics ancient and modern in making the unconventional and refreshing point that we need not slavishly follow the dictates of the now-popular rules of usage as promulgated by Strunk and White and other like-minded authorities. For example, while contemporary authorities repeatedly (yes, ironically) stress the importance of avoiding any unnecessary words, the author of Figures of Speech cites many passages from the Bible, Shakespeare, and other sources of distinction, that clearly do not follow such strictures--and choose elaboration and repitition over spare economy.

Overall, the book is informative, accessible, generous-spirited, and, in places, even humorous and playful.

When I got to the end of the slim volume I found myself wishing there was more.

Short, easy to read. Full of great examples. Will make you a better speaker and heighten your appreciation of great literature, as well as showing you the techniques used by playwrights, poets, politicians, lawyers, clergy, and all others who earn their bread with their tongues. An eye-opener.

Professor Quinn's slim volume is perhaps the best treatment of the subject of rhetorical devices that I have ever read. I say "best," not because it is the most extensive, nor because it is the most detailed coverage of the subject. I say "best" because I feel it is the most *useful* coverage I have ever encountered.

In concise fashion, Professor Quinn takes the reader through many of the most common figures of speech, tells us the formal names, and provides numerous illustrative examples.

It is true that simply knowing the name given to a particular turn of phrase will not guarantee that one can effectively employ it in one's writing. Nevertheless knowing the
forms and having names to identify them makes it easier to see them in use in the writing of others. By thus making them memorable, they also become a more ready part of one's writing toolkit.

The engaging and entertaining style which Quinn uses throughout the book makes even the most daunting technical terms readily accessible. His well-chosen examples are also entertaining and informative, and most are quite memorable. I can't be certain that merely reading this book will improve every reader's writing, but I believe that most folks will benefit from reading it.

"Figures of Speech: 60 ways to turn a phrase," by Arthur Quinn (Professor of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley) is truly worth it's weight in gold. This book is not a stuffy academic classroom text...it is a sleek, extremely funny and stimulating resource that will undoubtedly add tremendous value to your knowledge of writing the "Queen's English." Moreover, Professor Quinn's book is super provocative, superbly written and succinct...allowing the reader to go cover to cover in a few short hours.

Quinn challenges the reader..."We are confronted, inescapably, with the intoxicating possibility that we can make language do for us almost anything we want." In other words, the author "thinks outside the box" long before it became fashionable to do so. I'll never forget a groundbreaking banner front-page headline in the New York Daily News back in the 1970's, it read, "We Wuz Robbed!" The headline reported that masked gunmen broke into the payroll office and stole millions in typical New York City lingo. Apparently the editors in the Daily News Building agreed with Quinn's approach to effective writing that "style, is like a frog: you can dissect the thing, but it somehow dies in the process."

Each chapter in this marvelous book is short and compact. My favorite chapters include, Missing Links and Headless Horsemen, Man Bites Dog and Reds in the Red. In a nutshell, Quinn demands that we navigate the jungles of style creatively and includes many figures of speech through out his book to stimulate the learning process. Overall, this book is a joy to read. In the words of the author, "language becomes a prison house only poets can escape...if we do not reject any strict distinctions between ordinary usage and figures of speech."

Bert Ruiz

"A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms" provides a more complete study, but "Figures of Speech" is more user-friendly, more entertaining, more compact, more useful. "Handlist" proved to be more scholarly, "Figures" more practical. "Handlist" arranges the figures alphabetically, "Figures" by type. "Handlist" gives a few examples, "Figures" many. I found the examples in "Figures" to be lyrical, the commentaries whimsical, the results educational.

"The Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide" is an unusual concept and one that works surprisingly well. While a guide book, it is written of course for entertainment value and reads quickly. The book is packed with humorous drawings, expressions and cultural suggestions so that one never commits a faux pas, something which could get a traveler killed on the wrong system. One humorous extraction is that there is no word for "please" or "thank you" in Huttese. From the deep core to the outer rim, learn to count and speak basic phrases in Huttese, Bocce, Ewok, Wookiee, Jawa and even Gungan. While the Star Wars universe has no equivalent to a work like "the Klingon Dictionary," this is not only the next best thing, it's more enjoyable. From young children to adults, all Star Wars fans will enjoy this linguistic adventure.

I bought this book chiefly because I am a fan of Sergio Aragones' artwork; I am only a mild fan of Star Wars stuff.

I was not blown away by the quality or humor of the Aragones illustrations herein: there are not a lot of them, and none of them are really very funny. Plus, Aragones did not do the cover art. But if you're one of those people who collect everything Aragones does, then this is a must-have. If you're just looking for some Sergio stuff on Star Wars, I'd recommend a comic that came out a couple of years ago called "Sergio Stomps Star Wars." That should be enough for you; this book doesn't really add anything to that.

As for the section on the translations of various alien phrases to be found in the Star Wars universe, it's strictly for pre-teens. Doubtful you'd spend more than a few minutes with it.

What makes this book a winner, though, is the 43-page gem of an essay by Ben Burtt, the sound prodigy on the Star Wars movies, on the creation, inspiration, and various techniques for his award-winning effects. I wasn't expecting much from this piece, but it turned out to be well-written and completely engrossing. This essay alone (and I'm not aware of its being available from any other source) justifies the price of admission.

Here is a typical excerpt:

"Anyway, the sounds for the Tusken Raiders were inspired by the odd and often chilling donkey braying the crew heard in Tunisia during the location shooting. Donkeys were used to pack the tons of film equipment into the remote locations. Occasionally they would burst into barks and screeches during the shooting and be audible in the background of a take, thus ruining it. But their vocals echoing off the canyon walls proved weird and scary, so they were recorded and sent back to me. I added more to this collection back in the United States and incorporated some other elements of animal breathing and wheezing. Cut and blended together, the result was the speech of the Tusken Raiders." [p.139]

If you find this kind of stuff interesting, you're unlikely to rue purchasing this book.

Regrettably, Burtt's essay was written just the Attack of the Clones came out, so that movie is not discussed.

Also note that this is one of those smallish, subsized paperbacks. Handsomely printed, though.

This is a funny little book. In it, Ben Burtt has compiled a lexicon of several languages from the Star Wars movies. Among the languages that you can learn are Jawa, Ewok, Tusken Raider, Hutt, Neimodian, Bocce, Wookie, Droid and Gungan. This is a pretty impressive list. Each species has their own spotlight, and a list of phrases that are in their own language and in Basic (English). These include for example: Smeekeeya whao toupee upee. (Huttese: Smile when you say that.) and Mesa greeting, In peace mesa comen. (Gungan: I come in peace.)
For die-hard Star Wars fans, this is a must to have. Try memorizing it. ;) Burtt writes this with a funny and upbeat tone to it.
In addition, there is a section on how Ben Burtt (The author and sound technition for all the movies.) came up with the various noises that we hear in the films. This is interesting to read.
Lastly, there is a section with the movie script in it, for A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, so you can impersonate Greedo or the Ewoks.
However, I did find some problems with this book. One is the price. It is about $[money], which is a lot for a small book. The novels are less than that.
Secondly, the words are hard to pronounce, and there is no pronounceation guide included. It would make saying the things so much easier.
Third, I would have liked to have seen more languages, so hopefully they will update this with some dilects from Attack of the Clones.
This is a cool little book to have. If you like Star Wars, check it out!

This invaluable resource is a necessary guide on the basics of effective communication for anyone planning to travel through the Star Wars universe.
Written in an easy-to-read, humorous style and divided into eleven chapters, part one of this volume covers many commonly used phrases and terms in languages that range from Huttese to Bocce to Droidspeak. It also offers essential cultural advice and protocol rules that you will need to familiarize yourself with in order to increase your chances of survival as you come across numerous different situations in your voyage. All the phrases presented are printed out phonetically, so no bothersome pronunciation guidelines are given or needed.
Part two, "Behind the Sounds," is an engrossing, well written, 43-page account, complete with behind-the-scenes photos, of the author's journey of inspiration and creation of the sound effects and languages of the original trilogy films. Included in his story are fascinating technical details mixed with often hilarious anecdotes such as having spent a whole day recording bear sounds to be used when putting together Chewbacca's speech, and mixing and re-mixing mechanically and electronically generated beeps, chirps and bleeps to give R2-D2 an "emotional" voice.
Printed in an attractive pocket-sized format, this book is thoroughly illustrated in the best Star Wars style with laugh-out-loud drawings by Sergio Aragones of MAD Magazine fame.
As a bonus, an appendix with selected scenes from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi is included to help you practice your alien speech.
Although this book doesn't contain any information on the Star Wars universe subsequent to The Phantom Menace, it is an entertaining, fun and enjoyable way to explore the societies, their languages and activities, of the galaxy far, far away. As the Ewoks would say, this book is "yun yum di goot" (very good).
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

An amazingly funny and informative little book. It is really a textbook on several different languages from the Star Wars universe, but with all the comedic phrases and cute comics, you will soon forget that.

This book is truly very informative when it comes to alien languages, from huttese to bocce, and even droid-speak! this book will have you saying such phrases as; "Da beesga coo palyeeya pityee bo tenya go kaka juju hoopa!" or "Wua ga ma uma ahuma ooma!" or perhaps if you are like me, "Kavaa kyotopa bu whirlee backa?"

Overall, this is a fantastic book, and if you don't buy it to learn another language, buy it for the supercute family of Aleenas on the front and back! Mee jewz ku, coo ya maya stupas!

I have used Pimsleur German I, II and II and about to finish Pimsleur German Plus. The courses are great and I reccommend using them all. When followed seriously I found the courses better than private tutors and immersion classes (which I have also tried with limited success) Although I am not yet fully fluent in German I am able to communicate in general. Prior to using Pimsleur I had no background in German at all. However with Pimsleur, I learned only to speak and no grammar or reading whatsoever even when using the reading material. Therefore for those wanting to learn to read and write German I would also reccommed a good grammar book. The Themen Neu 1 and 2 workbooks seem to do the job but make sure you get the version with the English vocabulary and Grammer already in them. There also have a seperate computer based exercises which are also good. Amazon should carry these products also.

I have also tried Pimsleur for French and Mandarin Chinese and they are equally good. I just wish Pimsleur would add more advance courses as they have done for German in these two languages.

I wish Pimsleur would publish the transcripts for the audio lessons. These would be very helpful for review when not being able to repeat outloud (e.g. on a train full of people)It would also be great if Pimsleur had its own grammar and vocabulary books to accompany the audio.

I also wish Pimsleur would publish the courses on minidisc to make them lighter and more portable for travel and walking.

I have found that learning each lesson once is not sufficient. Two times is probably ideal: once in the morning and once at night. I found the pulisher's insturctions of doing only one lesson per day to be useful. However repeating the same lesson on the same day works great. Only when I have finished an entire course have I found it usefull to repeat several lessons in a row (for example on a long drive).

Overall I think Pimsluer has the best German audio learning tools. Anyone who wants to save a lot of time learning should try them. I am greatful they are available.

I generally agree that the Pimsleur series is the best audio course around, but I had to knock off a star. Here are the shortcomings: 1)You don't get very far with the language for the considerable money. Too little return for your investment. 2)Too much time is wasted on repetition of simple pronunciations. I believe much of II is too easy for someone with even one days' previous exposure to German conversation and grammar. 3)It's aggrevating to not have the spelling or conjugation of the verbs with this course. I recommend buying not only buy a bilingual dictionary to supplement this course, but also a grammar book, and 501 German Verbs by Henry Strutz. 4)Most of the voices are easily understood, but the "trainer" has an annoying nasal voice which is difficult to understand. You need speakers with golden voices for maximum comprehension. 5) When you want to review your trouble spots at the end of the course, there is not even the simplest table of contents or index to refer to for figuring out where to return! This is a serious handicap.
I recommend starting with Pimsleur II or even III if you are at all self-taught, so great is the volume-to-volume overlap between lessons. And, as I found on my recent trip to Germany, these tapes only expose you to the ideal hochdeutsch. You can't learn it all here.

By the time you're ready for this (Vol II), you should have a pretty good idea of the Pimsleur format. This CD set compliments the prior set with further practice using the informal ("Du") form and related conjugations and continues usage, comprehension, and vocabulary expansion. There are very few sets of this type available, so the competition is slim, but the Pimsleur German II set is excellent. If you've completed set I, this set is the logical next step. (If you've completed another introductory course, you may wish to purchase the Pimsleur I course, just to make sure that you have the requisite vocabulary and grammar.)

Ok. Pimsleur II won't get you very far, is expensive ..., and is somewhat cumbersome to work with. So the rest of this review will be about how in [the world] did I get to giving it five stars. There are several ways to go about when wanting to learn a language in an audio-only manner. You can get the "Learn in your car" from Penton Overseas. You can get the audio-only course from Living Language. Or you can take Pimsleur. From the lot, Pimsleur would be the ONLY decent answer for the utter beginner, and Pimsleur II will advance you to an intermediate level in the best way. You'll simply remember everything you learned. With the other options, you will find yourself replaying the tapes a couple of times. Does any language course that is a self learning course worth this kind of money? No. That's why we have the next paragraph.

Money. First of all, by all means get it used. It is an audio course that I recommend going through only once. ... . As for used audio cassettes, well, as much as we want to hear the correct pronounciation, we have to remember - this is not Mozart, it is only recorded speech. However even if you don't find it used, you can buy it, and after completing the course, sell it ... As this is suitable for first time learning, and is too much for review purposes (perhaps the other audio-only courses will be better for review). ...

I used the complete Pimsleur course: I - III and German Plus. It gave me exactly what I needed--practice and confidence in conversation. It was all review for me, as I'd studied German before, a considerable amount of study on my own. I found that the cassettes were perfect for my long daily commute. I would listen to two lessons in the morning and listen to the same two in the evening. Although the course didn't really add a lot to my vocabulary and very little to my knowledge of grammar, the conversation practice was great. Especially for those like me, who have studied a lot on their own, conversation can be difficult. Practice is invaluable in breaking down what I call the brain-tongue barrier. (So many times listening to the tapes, I had the answer in my head but just couldn't get it out of my mouth in time!)

Having said that, I would hate for this course to be my introduction to German. I would hate to do this course without knowing some grammar and the principles of German pronunciation. In addition, I find that the words and phrases chosen for special help with pronunciation were not consistent. In effect, some of the simpler words were emphasized like this, but more complex words like "Dolmetscher" were breezed over in conversations. And some of the basics in vocabulary were not covered--for instance, I don't think the complete list of months was covered, and learning all seven days took quite a few lessons!